Doctor Who and The Phonies

**WARNING: GEEK ALERT**

Right, so this afternoon I was looking up novelty betting on Paddy Power (always good for a nosy) when I came across a couple of rather disturbing sets of movie-related odds. The first of these involved a certain Time Lord taking his Tardis state-side.  Now I do realise that talk of a Doctor Who film isn’t really news, but the last I heard the BBC had stated it was all speculation. Yet it seems bookies are still laying on prices for who’s going to play the man himself…hmm, very concerning.

Image via weheartit
  

Aside from the fact that a Hollywood remake is simply a bad idea- most of the show’s quirky charm comes from the fact it really doesn’t take itself too seriously, something that would probably be lost on the big screen-  it’s the actors who are being linked with it that are especially troubling. I’m sure a lot of you have already heard about Johnny Depp’s possible involvement. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got absolutely nothing against Mr Depp and that pretty little face of his. In fact, like most girls, I’ve been pretty much in love with him since I was 14. Look at that picture above, how could you not be!  He’s not bad at the whole acting carry on either. But he’s just not The Doctor.  Though when you look at who else PP are putting in contention for the role you realise it could end up much worse:

Hugh Grant? Orlando Bloom? Robert flipping Pattinson??? Nooooooooooo!!! Give me Johnny and his dimples any day over that lot. At least there’s some real Doctors in there, my personal favourite being Christopher Eccleston. (Am I the only person who thought he was the best of the most recent bunch?) Still, the whole thing’s really quite worrying.

Image via Kamikazee Girl 

Even more alarming, however, are their predictions regarding another big screen adaptation, this time regarding one of my all time favourite reads- The Catcher in the Rye. Obviously Mr Salinger’s passing has opened up bidding for the movie rights,  but some books just aren’t meant to be made into films and I honestly think this is one of them. Believe me when I tell you that bookies KNOW STUFF. Their business depends on it. And when one of the biggest names in the business is putting Jaden Smith, Daniel Radcliffe, Justin Bieber and even bloody Michael Cera into the running to play Holden Caulfield, I think my fears are justified. Please, please, please just leave this one alone! 

Tim Meet Tim

Ok so this is all a little out of date now (as in the best part of a year) and a little out of season. But I just got so excited when I came across these images while searching for something totally unrelated that I had to share. They're from a fashion spread for last October’s Harper’s Bazaar by Tim Burton, photographed by the equally brilliant Tim Walker. How am I only coming across this now!!! Well, actually, it probably has something to do with the fact that I’m not really into fashion magazines and the like. I don’t know why that is; anytime I do leaf through the odd glossy I usually find myself oohing and aahing quite a bit. Anyway, here you go- the meeting of two of the world's most whimsically creative souls.

Fly Me To The Moon

Continuing the film theme here’s one that really should be on that list somewhere- Le Voyage Dans La Lune (1902). Over 100 years old, this little French masterpiece is as whimsical and wonderful as anything that’s come since. You’ve probably all seen it before, but it’s always worth another wee watch. Go on, take ten minutes out to take in one of the greatest films in cinematic history.



Oh, and I especially hope my two newest followers, Megan and Bethan, enjoy it. You ladies seem like you’d be rather lunar inclined ;)

I Love Lists

I haven’t done one of these in a while, a big super long post of pointless ramblings (my favourite kind). Today I’m nattering on about films, of the fantasy/sci-fi genre to be precise. I’ve had to update my favourites list following last night’s viewing, you see. Having missed out on it at the cinema, which I now very much regret, I rented Terry Gillingham’s The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus. And, oh, but it was excellent.

Granted, it could’ve been so much better if Heath Ledger’s death hadn’t forced a script rewrite towards the end. This prior knowledge combined with the fact that I’d heard only mediocre reviews of the movie, and that I find Gillingham’s stuff to be a bit hit or miss, meant that I wasn’t expecting too much. But considering the circumstances I think they did an admirable job. I was both awed and entertained in equal measure.

So I suppose maybe the pleasantly surprised factor may be playing a wee part in it’s ranking, but my Top 10 which had already grown to a Top 17 is now a Top 18. Still with me? Well you can find said list below.

I want to point out that this is only a tally of my fantasy/sci-fi faves and in no way covers my top films of all time. That is one list that can never be finished because I can never decide what goes at the top. Kind of the opposite to the novel I’ll never write because I can’t settle on an ending. At least that’s the excuse I tell myself.

There are notable absences on it too; some flicks I simply didn’t find worthy, some I haven’t seen yet. Others aren’t there because I feel the fantasy/sci-fi tag doesn’t quite cover them. Like The Shining or Dr Strangelove, both of which would make my top 10 films of all time (although I have deliberately omitted A Space Odyssey- me thinks the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes). Night of the Living Dead, Hero, X-Men, Harvey, Superman, Sleepy Hollow, Pi- all of these and more I toyed with but decided to leave out in the end.

Anyway, here you go. My top fantasy/sci-fi films as of April 2010.

1- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Obvious but worthy.

2- Star Wars

Originally trilogy only, naturally.

3-Pan’s Labyrinth

I always find it interesting to hear how the ending of this amazing film made people feel. I watched it with my fiance and at the end I was almost moved to tears while he found it quite uplifting. Still, beautiful either way.

4- Princess Mononoke

It’s tough choosing between Hayao Miyasaki and Studio Ghibli’s many wonderful animations, but I think this is my favourite.

5- Alien

My pick of the only two good films in the franchise.

**New Entry** 6- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Such a pity that Mr Ledger passed on towards the end of production, it could’ve been a masterpiece.

7- Sunshine

Surprisingly brilliant sci-fi from Danny Boyle. Almost as good as Alien and so much better than 2001.

8- Howl’s Moving Castle

More Miyasaki mastery.

9- Big Fish

Burton’s best, in my insignificant opinion.

10- Delicatessen

This may shock a lot of people, but I wasn’t a big fan of Amelie. The ending gave me a toothache. I rather enjoyed this though. And The City of Lost Children, although I watched that after the pub one night and my memories of it are rather dreamlike.

11- First Contact

I had to include a Trek film here somewhere and, while most of such a persuasion would opt for The Wrath of Khan, I grew up with The Next Generation and have to swing in that direction.

12- Edward Scissorhands

I really will watch absolutely anything with good ole Mr Depp in the lead but this proves that it’s not just for that pretty little face of his.

13- The Brothers Grimm

Gillingham again. I can’t believe it, a film with Matt Damon I actually love!

14- Stardust

British fantasy action for the whole family (god, I sound like one of their publicity blurbs).

15- The Fall

Lesser known fantasy flick from 2008 set in 1920s LA.

16- The Fisher King

More Gillingham, this time with The Dude and Mrs Doubtfire searching for the Holy Grail- in New York City. How could it not be great?

17- Total Recall

More than muscles and action, this is actually a really decent sci-fi movie. As are the TWO Terminators, but I’m a girl who likes fairies and could hardly put three Arnie films in the one list!

18- Labyrinth

Yes, I am a child of the 80s and this is just a random pick of the cheesy fantasy films that shaped my childhood. Other options included Willow, The Never Ending Story, Bill and Ted, or The Last Unicorn.

p.s Just a thought, wouldn’t the latest Alice movie have been so much better if Gillingham had directed it? Don’t get me wrong, I love Tim Burton, but I think the former Python could’ve given it that darkly absurd quality it was lacking.

More Creepy but Cool Stuff

Here’s a wonderful little short film that my friend Michael led me to. It’s called The Cat With Hands and it really is great.

Not Another Alice Post

So just about everyone has seen Alice by now and the jury’s still out. Personally I enjoyed it, but I can also understand why so many people were disappointed. There’s great deal of expectation when it comes to reworking such a well loved story.  The only thing that surprises me is that there’s all this fuss now even though there’s been countless film versions of Alice over the years that have past by without comment. What’s so different about this one? Oh yea, a certain actor/director combo and a box-office opening. That’d do it.

Anyway, this isn’t a post about the film (god knows, there’s already no shortage of them out in blogland). I’m actually only mentioning it because it’s recent enough and it’s something to say as an introduction to these enchanting images by pareeerica. I’ve just spent the evening browsing through her Flickr account and I love her pictures so much I’m going to have to remember to share some more. Enjoy!

© pareeerica

Silly Fun

Thank god for people with too much time on their hands for I now bring you The 100 Cheesiest Movies Quotes of All Time. I’m not quite sure if it’s what Sergei Eisenstien had in mind when he invented montage, but it’s an amusing way to pass ten minutes. I’m particularly pleased it includes my favourite ever Rocky moment. Forget Gorbachev, what about Sly?

Alice is looking good!

I was a little bit worried when I first heard about plans for this film but I'm starting to really look forward to it now.

 See the trailer here!